Campanula plant named ‘Royal Wave’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct hybrid of  Campanula  plant characterized by large cups of blue purple flowers with light centers and a mounding habit.

Botanical classification: Campanula hybrid (parentage unknown).

Variety denomination: ‘Royal Wave’.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Campanula plant and given the cultivar name of ‘Royal Wave’. Campanula is in the family Campanulaceae. Campanula ‘Royal Wave’ is a tetraploid of Campanula ‘Samantha’ (parentage unknown). The tetraploidy was induced under laboratory conditions using 0.1% colchicine on Stage II plants in tissue culture. Subsequent offspring were trialed and Campanula ‘Royal Wave’ was selected as a single plant from these.

This new and unique Campanula is distinguished by:

-   -   1. Large, wavy, blue purple flowers with light centers.     -   2. Round habit.     -   3. Pollen and seed sterility resulting in long bloom time.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows Campanula ‘Royal Wave’ growing in the ground in the field in July in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a comparison of the flowers of Campanula ‘Samantha’ and Campanula ‘Royal Wave’, with Campanula ‘Royal Wave’ being the flower on the right.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Campanula hybrid based on observations of one and a half year old specimen grown in a one gallon container in a shade house in Canby, Oreg. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Tuft herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 5 to 9.         -   Size.—23 cm tall and 35 cm wide.         -   Habit.—Compact, rounded. -   Stem:     -   -   Number.—8 to 10, branching at each node, 8 main branches per             stem, each of these branching about 4 times.         -   Internode length.—Varies from 1.5 cm to 4.5 cm.         -   Size.—14 to 17 cm long and up to 4 mm wide.         -   Color.—Yellow Green 146B.         -   Vestiture.—Hispid. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Alternate.         -   Shape.—Varies on placement. Lowest leaves on branches are             cordate. Most leaves are deltoid. A few leaves at the very             ends of the branches are lanceolate.         -   Venation.—Pinnate.         -   Margins.—Serrate, undulate.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Truncate, sometimes cordate and/or oblique.         -   Blade size.—Variable. 8 mm to 2.4 cm long and 5 mm to 2.5 cm             wide.         -   Vestiture.—Sparsely hispid on margins and bottom side.         -   Surface.—Matte.         -   Texture.—Thin, leathery.         -   Petiole length.—Changes from 3.5 cm at the bottom of the             stem to 3 mm at the top.         -   Petiole vestiture.—Sparsely hispid.         -   Petiole color.—Green 138B.         -   Leaf color.—Topside — Green 137A only darker. Bottom side —             Closest to Green 137C. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Solitary and terminal.         -   Peduncle.—Size — 5 to 10 cm long and 1.5 mm wide. Vestiture             — Glabrous. Color — Green 137A.         -   Bloom period.—July through August in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—12 mm deep and 10 mm wide.         -   Shape.—Ovoid, star-shaped in cross section.         -   Color.—Violet Blue 91C to 91A where indented. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Actinomorphic.         -   Number of flowers.—About 230 per plant.         -   Shape.—Broadly campanulate.         -   Size.—0.6 to 1 cm deep and 2.5 to 4 cm wide.         -   Corolla lobes.—5 lobes, cut to ½ ways to the base, lobes             slightly overlapping, broadly ovate, 16 mm wide and 12 mm             deep, acute tip, base narrowing slightly, margins entire.         -   Color.—Upper surface Violet Blue 93B with lighter centers             Violet Blue 91C, lower surface Violet Blue 93B with lighter             around the main vein, Violet Blue 91C.         -   Calyx.—Rotate in shape, 1.7 cm wide and deep, 5 lobes, each             7 mm long and 2 mm wide, with 4 to 8 teeth on the lobe             margin and tip, cupped, tips acuminate.         -   Calyx color.—Green 137B to 137C.         -   Stamen description.—5 in number, 8 mm long, filaments White             155A, no pollen, male sterile.         -   Pistil description.—1, Yellow Green 145D overall, ovary             above the corolla 3 mm deep, style 2 mm long, 3 branched             reflexed stigma, each branch 5 mm long.         -   Fragrance.—Sweet.         -   Lastingness.—Each flower lasts for about 5 days on the             plant. -   Fruit and seed: None produced; plant is male and female sterile. -   Diseases and pests: No diseases found of this new variety or on its     parent plant. Many Campanula are susceptible to snails and slugs and     aphids.

COMPARISON TO SIMILAR CAMPANULA

Compared to Campanula ‘Samantha’ (an unpatented plant), Campanula ‘Royal Wave’ has larger, thicker, and darker flowers with a lighter center. The habit is mounding only rather than mounding to weaving.

Compared to Campanula carpatica and its cultivars with blue purple flowers, Campanula ‘Royal Wave’ is a mounding-clumper rather than a slow creeper, with larger, thicker, and darker flowers. They have similar leaves in their margins and shape. The new variety has larger leaves. 

1. A new and distinct Campanula plant substantially as shown and described, characterized by large cups of blue purple flowers with light centers and a mounding habit. 